Fulfilling Their Duty
by Kat-of-the-Streets
Summary: The story of Robert and Cora from their points of view. No copyright infringement intended. Characters and most of the story belong to Julian Fellows.


She comes to London because her parents want her to marry a title.  
>He comes to London because it is the Season and his parents need him to marry money.<p>

They meet in a ballroom.  
>He has heard about her inheritance.<br>She has heard about his family's financial troubles.  
>They seem to fit together.<p>

At the end of the season he proposes to her.  
>She accepts him.<br>They are both relieved that they have fulfilled their parents' wishes faster than they thought they would.

She walks down the aisle on her father's arm knowing that she will be a viscountess in twenty minutes time.  
>He waits at the end of the aisle, knowing that his family's estate has been saved weeks before when the prenuptial had been signed.<p>

She knows he does not love her but hopes for friendship to establish itself over the course of time. If someone asked her what she liked most about her husband she would say his intelligence.  
>He knows she does not love him but hopes for friendship to establish itself over the course of time. If someone asked him what he liked most about his wife he would say her intelligence.<p>

She has low expectations of her wedding night. She has no experience and after all, there are no feelings involved. There is only a duty that needs to be fulfilled.  
>He has low expectations of his wedding night. He has hardly any experience and after all, there are no feelings involved. There is only a duty that needs to be fulfilled.<p>

It is the final signature under their prenuptial.  
>A title for her, an estate for him.<br>Made secure by the consummation of their marriage.

She is not surprised when he leaves her bed after fulfilling his duty.  
>He is not surprised when she does not ask him to stay in her bed after fulfilling her duty.<p>

She goes to sleep alone in her bed not knowing whether she is content.  
>He goes to sleep alone in his bed not knowing whether he is content.<br>They both know that they aren't happy.  
>But neither one of them asked for happiness.<br>They asked for a title and an estate and that is, after all, what they got.

Their wedding journey takes them to Paris, Marseille and Rome.  
>He has been to all those places before.<br>She has never been to any of those places before.  
>He shows her around and tells her about the history of the cities.<br>She cannot believe that there are buildings in these cities that are 500 years older than her own country.  
>He smiles at her enthusiasm for history. Her questions reflect her intelligence.<br>She smiles at his enthusiasm for answering her questions. His replies reflect his intelligence.

They go back to England.  
>He is happy to be home and with his family.<br>She is insecure about being at his home with his family.

Their welcome back dinner is a formal one.  
>Twenty neighbors were invited and they have all come.<br>He thinks they have come to meet and get to know his wife.  
>She knows they have come to find fault with her.<p>

And fault they do find.  
>She is from the wrong country, speaks in a wrong accent and worst of all is "new money".<br>They ask impertinent questions she doesn't feel comfortable to answer.  
>He cringes every time one of those questions is asked.<br>He knows he does it, not because of her answers, but because he feels sorry for her.  
>She thinks he does it because he is embarrassed by her.<br>They do not speak for a week.

His mother ridicules her every day.  
>It makes her sad and so desperate that she thinks about going home. It is not the first time she has ever thought about it.<br>It makes him uncomfortable and so desperate that he criticizes his mother. It is the first time he has ever done that.  
>For the first time he wishes he could stay in her bed after fulfilling their duty.<br>For the first time she wishes he would stay in her bed after fulfilling their duty.  
>She asks him to and he does.<p>

He waits for her lady's maid to leave her room, knocks on her door and enters her bedroom.  
>She waits for him to knock on her door and enter her bedroom.<p>

He waits for her lady's maid to leave her room, forgets to knock on her door and just enters her bedroom.  
>She smiles at him.<p>

He forgets to wait for her lady's maid to leave and just enters their bedroom.  
>She smiles at him and says "there you are".<p>

He comes to think of the time between him entering their bedroom and them going to sleep as the favorite time of his day.  
>She comes to think of the time between him entering their bedroom and them going to sleep as the favorite time of her day.<p>

They do more than fulfill their duty. They talk. To each other.  
>He tells her about growing up as the heir apparent to an earldom.<br>She begins to understand why he is the way he is.  
>She tells him about growing up as the daughter of a businessman.<br>He begins to understand why she is the way she is.

He tells her of Christmas at Downton and how the tree stays up until Epiphany.  
>She tells him of Christmas at her home and how she misses small things from America.<br>He asks which small things.  
>She tells him of her favorite magazines, <em>The New York Times<em> and her favorite kind of chocolate. And her blue Christmas stocking which she forgot to pack when she left America in spring.

On Christmas morning she sees her blue Christmas stocking on her bed post.  
>She finds her favorite magazines, a slightly outdated issue of the <em>The New York Times<em> and her favorite kind of chocolate in it.  
>He has written to her mother and asked for those things to be sent to him.<br>She is speechless.

On Christmas morning he unwraps her present for him.  
>It is a book about the history of New York City.<br>The inscription reads  
><em>To my dear history loving husband,<br>Maybe I will be able to show you around and answer your questions one day.  
>Your history loving wife<br>_He is speechless.

He kisses her.  
>She kisses him back.<br>It is the first time they kiss without thinking about fulfilling their duty.

They go to church with his parents.  
>During the service he holds her hand and thinks that maybe he will be happy after all.<br>During the service she holds his hand and thinks that maybe she will be happy after all.

His father begins to nag him about the absence of an heir.  
>He assures him it is not for a lack of trying.<br>They fulfill their duty regularly.

His mother begins to nag her about the absence of an heir.  
>She assures her it is not for a lack of trying.<br>They fulfill their duty regularly.

His parents openly assault her for having been married for over six months and nothing to show for it.  
>They do this at a dinner party. In front of their guests.<br>He loses his temper and reminds his parents that he was born over six years after their wedding. In front of their guests.  
>"But maybe that was for a lack of trying". He mutters this under his breath so that only she can hear.<br>She looks at him, begins to laugh and puts her head on his shoulder. In front of their guests.

He gets up and pulls her out of the drawing room. By her hand.  
>She lets herself be pulled out of the drawing room. By his hand.<p>

She says "Thank you for making me laugh".  
>He says "My pleasure".<br>They kiss. Without thinking of fulfilling their duty.  
>Her insides perform a summersault.<p>

He thinks that his father is mismanaging the estate.  
>He needs to talk to a friend about it.<br>He talks to her.

Her father has died of a sudden heart attack.  
>She needs to be held by someone she loves.<br>She turns to him.

He enters their bedroom without waiting for her lady's maid to leave and without knocking. He does this every night.  
>She smiles at him and says "There you are darling". She has never said it like that before. It shoots through him like a lightning bolt.<br>They don't fulfill their duty. They make love. For the first time.

It's her birthday and he takes her to London.  
>He gives her a necklace with a heart pendant and takes her to a theater at the end of the theater district. It is a theater that hosts travelling companies.<br>When the play begins she realizes that it is American. All the actors speak with American accents.  
>She turns to him and says "I love you".<br>He kisses her and squeezes her hand.

They become the talk of society.  
>They hold each other closer than is necessary when they dance together.<br>They hold hands in public.  
>They kiss in public.<br>They sleep in the same bed every night, according to rumors.

A friend asks him why he does this.  
>He replies "because I love her".<br>She hears.  
>He turns around and sees in her face that she's heard.<br>He walks over to her and kisses her. In public.

His world comes crashing down around him when his father dies.  
>He is now the earl. He feels unprepared. And he has two small girls to take care of.<br>He tells her about his worries.  
>She tells him that everything will be all right. And that she loves him.<p>

Her world comes crashing down around her when he has to go to war.  
>She has to manage the estate alone. She feels unprepared. And she has three small girls to take care of.<br>She tells him about her worries.  
>He tells him that everything will be all right. And that he loves her.<p>

She hears stories about the men who have returned home from the war. How they have changed. Become distant. Don't show any emotions. Are not interested in their wives or children.

When he returns home from the war she waits for him in front of their house.  
>He walks towards her, picks her up, swings her around, tells her that he is glad to be home, so glad. And that he loves her, so very much.<br>When he sets her down again, their three girls come running out of the house. He catches them and tells them that he loves them too.

He enters their bedroom without waiting for her lady's maid to leave and without knocking.  
>She smiles at him and says "There you are darling".<br>It shoots through him like a lightning bolt.  
>He takes her in his arms and they both begin to cry.<br>They tell each other that everything is all right. And that they love each other.

Their world comes crashing down around them when she loses their fourth child and only son.  
>There is another war and he is not needed to fight.<br>It makes her happy and him sad.  
>She thrives with the tasks that the war has dealt her.<br>He feels like a useless fool.  
>All she does is work.<br>All he does is miss her.  
>He almost takes another woman into his bed.<br>She almost dies in their bed.  
>His world begins to spin out of control when he sees her on their bed, fighting for her life.<br>He feels as is if he has to go through hell.  
>She hasn't realized that her life had begun to spin out of control until she sees him sitting at her bedside, looking as if he had to go through hell.<br>She offers him her hand.  
>He takes her hand.<br>Their world stops spinning.

He loses almost all her fortune.  
>She tells him not to worry and that she loves him.<br>He thanks God for her.

They lose their youngest daughter.  
>She blames him with little justification.<br>The weight of the world is lifted of his shoulders the moment he sees how relieved she is when she hears that their daughter's death wasn't his fault.  
>They keep on grieving their daughter. But not their marriage.<p>

They lose their son in law.  
>They don't know how to help their eldest daughter cope with her unbearable grief.<br>They have never had to cope with grief like that. And they are thankful for it.

He goes to America to save her useless brother.  
>She stays home to organize the annual bazar in their garden.<br>They are both successful.  
>His heart skips a beat when he sees her on his return.<br>Her heart skips a beat when she sees him on his return.  
>They kiss. In public.<p>

He enters their bedroom without waiting for her lady's maid to leave and without knocking.  
>She smiles her brightest smile and says "There you are darling".<br>It shoots through him like a lightning bolt.  
>He takes her into his arms and kisses her.<br>She kisses him back.  
>They haven't thought about fulfilling their duty in more than three decades.<br>Their marriage is made out of love, after all.


End file.
